House of Falling Cards
by Lady Casper-san
Summary: My little Alice, how far you have fallen. Jo Harvelle is the daughter of a hunter. She is a friend to the Winchesters and also knows how to pack a punch. Unfortunately, Jo doesn't know who that is.
1. Prologue

**Written by:** Casper

**AN:** Written for my AU Big Bang, this story is set before any of Season Four happened. Some of this was betaed (Thank You, Scarlite), some of it not (my fault) so I apologize for any mistakes.

**Rated: ** M (for future sexual situations, language and violence)

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. Unfortunately.

* * *

**House of Falling Cards**

PROLOGUE

** · · · **

The ticking clock counted down how long she'd been standing at the train station's entrance. Normally, a bus would have sufficed or even a cab ride. Unfortunately, finding little money after being fired right on the spot for the mess in Duluth had Jo Harvelle slumming it with little to no money. It wasn't like back home, where she could have looted on a few cocky hunters' money from a few hands of poker. There were others far more superior at the trade then her school games. And they were just as deadly as the demons she and others hunted.

Not to mention it kind of hurt the ego when you were getting yelled at in front of everyone while trying to nurse a head injury. She had half a mind to tell her ex-boss to shove it up his ass when she spotted his daughter coming down in wonder of all the yelling.

Taking out what she had made on tips and whatever else she had from her pocket, she plopped it down on the counter and walked out without so much as a backward glance.

It would cover the damage to the bar as well as the window Sam had broken.

Sighing, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked back up to the clock where the thick hand slid just below the twelve lying by its slimmer brethren. Midnight.

"No time like the present." With her bag of belongings in one hand and a backpack secretly lined with her knife collection, she went inside and bought herself a one way ticket to South Dakota.

A quick stop at the small newspaper stand, she grabbed a few headlining papers along with two Pepsis and a few bags of junk food and she was off to catch her train.

'Hopefully Bobby won't have too much of a heart attack when he sees me on his doorstep,' Jo mused, leaning in the semi-comfortable velvet red seats.

**· · · **

The smell of alcohol smothered the motel room like someone had doused it in whiskey and bourbon. Jo threw her bags down by the nightstand as she checked out the room. Though she technically wasn't a fully fledged hunter – yet – it was stupid to not know you were in danger.

After securing a flimsy looking window in the bathroom and the two out in the bedroom area, she pulled out a can of salt and started to work on the door and window sills.

When that was done, she investigated the bathroom's supplies. The towels were, of course, scratchy like the maids didn't know the word "softener" and the complementary soaps smelled like crap and suspiciously half used. Yeah, she picked a fine one. Chucking the soaps out, she went to her bag and pulled out her own freshly washed towel and two bottles filled with scented shampoo and body wash. No conditioner, she thought dejectedly.

The hair would suffer but she didn't have a lot of choices. It was either starve or have some bad hair days until money came in.

Thankfully, the hot water came and stayed on without any problems. Using her lavender soap, she washed up and quickly washed out the dirt from traveling out of her hair then got out.

Tomorrow morning she would catch a connecting bus that would put her right outside of Bobby's town. There she could simply walk it.

Wrapping her light blue towel around her body, she tucked the corner in and padded out into the bedroom. She picked out a pair of sweatpants and a black tank and dressed. The towel wrapped around her hair, she crawled into bed.

**· · · **

The bus had been a mistake. Idiot, Jo thought mentally as she jumped down from the steps of the bus and heaved her bag over her shoulder. While the ride itself didn't suck, the driver had no frigging clue where he was supposed to stop at. Now she was at least a few hours behind. Well at least her feet had rested up enough to make the trek to Bobby's a little easier.

**· · · **

She growled out in frustration. The truck was gone. With Bobby MIA. Damn it! And all she really wanted to do was curl up on Bobby's scruffy looking couch and sleep until the next morning. With a sigh, she thought of the possibility of breaking in but decided it a bad move. Bobby may be up in age but he wasn't any less lethal with guarding his home. With her luck, she slip in the back and get slammed with a round of buckshot by an ingeniously made device. Yeah. She didn't look good with holes all along her chest.

There had been a motel in town. Lifting up her bag back over her sore shoulders, she went down the wooden steps and made a right down the street.

**· · · **

Water. She could hear it trickle down along where her head rested. Fingers splayed out on the ground, she took a breath only to struggle at the immense pressure it brought on her lungs. Coughing, she tried to sit up when something hot pushed her back down. That was when she realized just how cold it was. Her fingers could barely flex they were so frozen.

"What's your name?"

Immediately, her brown eyes swooped up to find a pair of old dusty blue ones looking down at her. The man looked around Bobby's age. Lines of stress marring his face and scars down the one side of his neck spoke a life of hard labor. "Ya hear me, girl?"

She tried to nod, but even that felt taxing. Instead, she let out a tired sigh.

Seeming to catch on, the older man leaned forward. "If you understand me and hear me, blink twice."

Jo blinked twice. He let out a sigh of his own.

"Alright, let's get you out of here before you're stuck to the ground." Just the thought had Jo's stomach fluttering with panic. Just how long had she been here?

**· · · **

"What's your name?" Jo turned her head back from looking out the window and to Charlie, the man who'd found her outside of Nevada in the crust of desert where city disappeared into large masses of sand and sun. From what Charlie had told on the way back to his small one-story house, it was lucky that she'd been found there. Otherwise freezing to the ground would have been the least of her worries. She let loose a shudder just thinking about it.

"I honestly don't remember."

"You don't remember much."

Jo gave a half sad smile as she took relief from any more questions by sipping on her hot coffee.

"You didn't have any identification on you that I could see. Check your back pocket."

Charlie had already gone through her one bag of belongings, of which he told while sitting his truck. 'I wasn't stealing anything just looking for some type of I.D. but I figure you would want to know if someone was going through your belongings.'

A rectangular shape sat in the back right pocket of her jeans. Pulling it out, she stared at a Nebraska Driver's License. There was a small picture of her giving an impression of an Elvis lip to the camera. She gave a sigh that wasn't relief. "My name is Joanna Beth Harvelle." But why couldn't she even remember that name? It felt like she was speaking of a complete stranger.

Charlie sat down with a frown and gingerly took the I.D. "I'm sure someone is looking for you."

A tear strayed down her cheek. Quickly, she wiped it away. "I don't know why but I doubt it."

**· · · **

Charlie had a lot of books lined along his walls. Some withered and torn while others looked like they'd been fresh from the store, she couldn't help but gawk at the amount that seemed to fill the entirety of the room. "Wow," she laughed, "nice collection."

Snorting, Charlie rolled his eyes. "You think this is something, you should take a look at my garage and attic. These are just my favorites at the moment." Something hedged at the corner of her mind or more like someone at thought of all these books. Someone she knew who would have appreciated this collection. But she couldn't put a finger on a name or face. She tried to hedge the memory more but the harder she tried, the more her head began to throb. So instead, she started to leaf around the books, reading the spines for titles and smiling at a handful.

After giving her a few short moments to gander, Charlie cleared his throat, clearly trying to catch her attention. When she didn't completely turn her body around to listen, he coughed out her name and she jumped at it. Well that was weird. One usually didn't fear your own name, even when it was gruffly spoken. "Yes?"

"I called around, asking if anyone was looking for a Joanna Harvelle. The name popped up to some places like Arkansas and Kansas. There was mention of it in Nebraska as well but when they tried to reach the residence it was disconnected."

"So what – is there anything else that can be done?"

Charlie shrugged. "Not that I really know of. A few buddies of mine on the force are checking around and seeing if any of the other squads know if someone is looking for you."

Jo gave a short nod before spinning back to the books.

"Someone is missing you, Joanna. I'm sure of that." Charlie stated, somewhat uncomfortably, like he wasn't quite used to the warm-touchy feely stuff. Quite frankly, she wasn't either.

He walked back into kitchen she spotted the dark blue cover of Alice in Wonderland and felt her eyes well up. "I hope so."

**· · · **

_Jo stood at the top of a cliff, her arms spread eagle as her head tilted back. The wind blew her long blonde strands in the air as the salt filled area bounced up from the waves crashing down below. She felt at peace, almost like she was flying without effort._

"_Jo!" Jolted, her back tightened as her body twisted around in time to spot a man about her age. The scenery had changed. She was no longer at sea but in a bar. He looked scared. For her? He had a shotgun in his hand, along with cuts bleeding, like someone forgot to tell him it wasn't smart to fight with a lawnmower. She wanted to laugh at the thought but fear unexplainably was filling every morsel of her fiber. What was happening? Just then another form stood in front of her, a shadowed figure with broad shoulders and even broader chest. She wanted to shout but something smacked into her ribs and her body vaulted backward, slamming into tables and chairs. No cry escaped her as the air from her lungs had been dislodged by the impact._

_Iron tainted her mouth and she wanted to spit it out but couldn't. She was drowning in it. Just when she thought she would die, warm hands wrapped around hers and that same vaguely familiar figure that had hit her was kneeling above her. His face, a picture of fear and worry as those hands of his ran down her body, checking for injuries. He seemed to find something as his face paled when he pulled his hand back. Something dark coated his fingers and she wanted to laugh. He was worried about a little spill?_

"_Jo? Jo, answer me! Hey, don't close your eyes."_

_Gripping her face with his sticky hands, he pressed his face into hers. That was when she finally realized what it was._

_Her blood._

Jo woke up to sunlight pouring in from the bedroom window.

**· · · **

Heading into the mini-mart with her head held low, Jo looked for any local papers in hopes of finding anything that could lead to information on her. Sure, she had a name. But the only place that kept tracing back was in Nebraska, where the phones remained disconnected. Maybe she had lived there and moved and that's why they were disconnected? She grumbled at the stupid tabloids and snatched The Daily News. Nothing. Shit. Well, there was no other way around it.

"Looks like I'm going to Nebraska." After buying herself a cherry slurpee, she headed out the door and went to find Charlie in the Hardware store.

**· · · **

"I don't know, Joanna. That seems a bit dangerous don't you think?" Charlie had been antsy since she'd unleashed her plans to him while he debated on which hard wood he planned on using for shelves in the kitchen.

"I really don't have much of a choice. If I don't find anything, at least I'll know." Jo, forking the life out of her Salisbury steak, weighed the options in her mind for the millionth time that day. If she stayed put and didn't at least try, then any real trace of her existence could be wiped away with years. Hell, even a few days could be bad. And she didn't even know how long she'd been gone. That made this move so dire for her to go now before it was too late.

After an hour or so, Charlie came around and gave in. Only because he was coming along too though.

**· · · **

The trip out there wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. For someone inane reason, she couldn't will herself on a bus. It just seemed too eerie. So, they took the train out which made her feel about ten times less antsy and cramped.

"Now don't go getting your hopes up." Charlie had warned while they waited another hour to make entrance into the city.

"I know."

Drumming her fingers along her armrest, she tilted her head to the side and noticed a sleek black car flying down the road and hummed her approval. Whoever drove that knew cars well.

Wait…did she know cars? Blinking for a few hard seconds as memory continued to be cloudy; she let out a growl and plopped against her seat when it just continued to dance around her brain. This was getting beyond frustrating.

Finally! Jo thought as they pulled into the station and quickly grabbed her lonesome beaten up bag and started to head for the exit, a hurried Charlie following closely behind her. The place, while less populated then a stop in New York Transit, she could still feel claustrophobic and quickly made it for open space. "Oh thank God." She huffed out, dropping her bag to the ground as she pushed back her hair from her face.

"You alright there?" Charlie asked, a little out of air from trying to keep up.

"Yeah," She answered and then realized he'd been racing after her. "Sorry! I guess I kind of forget – you know – more than usual with how hyped up I get in crowds."

"Don't worry about it. Let's get going then."

Enthusiastic to find any clues, Jo tracked down a phonebook and got them a cab. While she was in pretty decent health, Charlie…yeah, there would be no more passing out victims on this journey.

**· · · **

Two hours she'd been trying to track down the 'Roadhouse' but with little no luck. People kept giving her odd or dirty looks whenever she asked like she'd been knocked in the head one too many times. Eventually, she was ready to give up when she spotted a motel. "Hey Gramps, why don't we camp here for the night?"

Charlie, who sat in the driver's seat, looked over to where she was looking at and nodded. "It'll do for now. "We'll grab a room and then go out for a bite."

**· · · **

"You want some salt?" Jo offered Charlie who looked at it with an odd stare before turning it down. She put it back with the pepper and frowned. "So what do you think we should do next? There has to be somebody who knows where this Roadhouse is."

Charlie remained quiet for a moment before nodding. "I'll go do some reckon. See if maybe the locals will open up to me."

"But I-" She started but he waved her off.

"I know you asked around. But maybe they don't open up to just anyone. Just let me give it a try and I'll meet you back at the motel in a few hours."

Nodding, she and Charlie ate in silence until the check came and Jo started to pull out her money when the sound of an electronic shrill went off. Looking behind her, she spotted a boy with a toy shotgun in his hand, firing at probably computerized deer. He hooted at hitting something and teased his younger sister who stood by, looking gloomy about having to listen to him.

Why did it seem so familiar? The boy shot off another round before his mother called them both over. They quickly ran off and Jo went over to where the machine sat. She picked up the gun and let the weight sit on her hands. Charlie came over. "I played this."

"When? I was only in the bathroom for five minutes."

"No, I mean I played this." Jo's face pulled tight as a smile beamed off her face. "I remember playing this, Charlie. Before!" She gave a soft laugh and put in a quarter. She started to play and missed every single deer. "Sonofabitch!"

Charlie laughed and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Come on."

Jo glowered at the game. "I'll meet you outside; I just have to run to the bathroom real quick." He headed off and she waited until he disappeared before looking back at the game. "Okay one more time." She put another quarter in and waited for it to load a new round. When she finished, the game it began flashing in bright lights as it asked for her name. "Huh." She smirked and watched as her name collected as the highest score. "Thought so." Walking away, she didn't see a pair of eyes watching carefully.

While Charlie went about his business trying to scurry up some information, Jo decided to pull out Alice in Wonderland, the book he'd given to her before leaving and for a little bit. By the time Charlie came back, excitement on his face, it was nearing ten o'clock. Damn.

"What'd you find out?" Jo sat up, marking her spot in the book with a strip of paper.

"Let's just say, I still have the charm."

"Charlie if you tell me you got a date, I'm gonna laugh."

Glaring at her, he crossed his arms. "I found out where the Roadhouse is smart ass."

Bubbles of emotions filled her chest as she jumped up off the bed. Her eyes were probably as big as saucers as she tried to say something. "Seriously? You found it?" Charlie nodded and she tackled him in a hug. She could have sworn he coiled back but she was in too good a mood to care. Pulling back to give him space, she beamed. "Let's go!"

Charlie cocked an eyebrow. "Try tomorrow morning."

"But-"

"It's about five hours out, Joanna. We'll get some sleep and then head out." The way his voice sounded, crisp and detached, had her wondering if some robot had taken Charlie's place. The only thing she could really pick up on was the irritation lurking in his eyes. Geez, she really must be some kind of pain.

"You're right. I'm sorry. You've been good to me and I guess I just got overexcited." She scratched the back of her head and gave a half-smile. It was like she'd slapped him or something. One moment the irritation was there, the next it seemed to disappear behind some wall.

"No, I'm sorry. Just getting old here, Joanna. When men my age don't sleep enough, we get cranky."

She nodded, still feeling somewhat odd.

Not really knowing what, she felt something off about the man. Eh, probably my imagination, Jo thought and went to get ready for bed.

**· · · **


	2. Chapter One

**Written by:** Casper

**AN:** Written for my AU Big Bang, this story is set before any of Season Four happened. Some of this was betaed (Thank You, Scarlite), some of it not (my fault) so I apologize for any mistakes.

**Rated: **M (for future sexual situations, language and violence)

Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. Unfortunately.

* * *

**House of Falling Cards**

CHAPTER ONE

**· · ·**

There was nothing. Not a damn thing left. She wanted to cry but she couldn't fathom why. It meant nothing to her – or at least at the moment- but something was pulling at the heartstrings. Beads of sweat started at the back of her neck but she could only feel a cool sweep of chills rush up her back.

It looked like a bomb had went off, sending the Roadhouse into kingdom come.

She walked around the outer parts of where there was less rubble and tried to picture in her head what it looked like. Large, with a neon sign probably stating Roadhouse, she assumed. There were boards that were somewhat intact, looking like a bar counter. Broken glass littered the ground and her foot crunched down on something when she tried to go further in. The smell of something burning still coated the place and it was strong enough to make her have to cover her mouth with her sleeve.

Singed articles of newspaper seemed to miraculously survive. She picked a few up.

FIFTH WOMAN GONE MISSING IN MINNESOTA. MYSTERIOUS DEATHS CONTINUE TO RISE. STRANGE PHENOMENA OVERTAKES WYOMING. Strange clippings to be collected, she mused. Still, she pushed them together in a pile and kept them with her.

Suddenly a flash of a memory overtook her sight causing her to stumble over a piece of debris.

But as suddenly as it came it disappeared and she could only remember a fraction of a face, a warm smile and flannel. Strange. She tried to focus on it but it seemed lost within her mind as the rest of her memory had been.

Still something stuck and before she could think of anything, a name fell from her lips. "Ellen."

Just then the sound of a gun cocking had her head spinning toward her left. Charlie stood her down with the muzzle of his handgun pointed at her. "They told me you wouldn't remember."

"What?" She felt the air sweep up and knock her down. Looking everywhere, she found nobody but her, Charlie and his gun. She tried to get up and felt another force jump on her chest, like a large Doberman had just taken her out. Struggling, she managed to get her fingers under a board in search of anything that she could use for a weapon but couldn't grip anything. She wheezed. "Charlie, what's going on?"

He had come to stand over her, his blue eyes no longer blue, she swallowed harshly, but completely blackened out. Like the soul had been sucked out into twin black holes.

"They said you wouldn't remember. I was in charge of making sure you stayed away. But no, you had to go and look for your stupid past, like a little whiney brat. Now, look where it's gotten you-"

"-they?" She coughed when the pressure on her chest increased.

"Don't go being rude now girly. 'They' are not your concern right now."

She felt all the blood in her face drain away as the gun cocked back. "You lied to me this whole time?"

He gave a mechanical laugh, like it was rusty and yet a new concept to him. "Not exactly. There is a Charlie, but he's been nothing but a suit for me to wear since you were dumped out in the desert."

"Why was I dumped out in the desert?" If she was going to die here, at least she could get an answer to one of her damn questions. Charlie-or-whoever it was controlling him, seemed to think it an interesting notion considering she wouldn't live long enough to enjoy them.

Lowering the weapon only a fraction, he smirked. "You are a true menace Joanna Harvelle. You know that? You and your damn Mamma don't know when to leave well enough alone."

Her body vibrated at this. "Mother?"

Again, Charlie found amusement in this. "Oh yeah. You don't remember. Your lil Ma has been searching for you high and low since this here Roadhouse blew to hell. Has everybody looking for you. Poor little Jojo, looking for her family-"

It was her turn to laugh. At first she was sure she'd gone mad, and it seemed so did Charlie as his amusement had been wiped clean off his face and replaced for confusion. Good, it was a nice change to have someone else feeling that besides her all the time. "Little Alice, how far you have fallen. Even the damn caterpillar is in on it with the Queen of Hearts." She leveled a look at Charlie. "Isn't that right?"

For the briefest of moments, she saw black turn to smoky blue again and knew, without really knowing, that it was her only chance. Throwing the clump of dirt she had grabbed under the board with one hand, she chucked it up into his eyes. He yelled, tried to wipe it away and only found it more painful. Bits of glass had been mixed into the dirt from all the broken windows and bottles. Jo jumped up, the mysterious pressure gone and grabbed the arm with the gun while charging Charlie. He stumbled. Instinct took over. She head butted him, swung a left then a right punch and knocked him down. The gun flew and it was all she needed. Hands grabbing it mid-air, for a split-second she couldn't believe her body knew this, but then it was pushed back as she swung the heavy metal up and fired without hesitation.

Dead, Charlie plummeted down to the ground, a burn hole between the eyes.

Jo didn't wait. She took off to the car and got in. Car thriving to life, she gunned it out of there. Where? She didn't know. All she knew was that she needed to hide. Because it seemed someone was looking for her…and it wasn't the mother Charlie had been talking about.

** · · ·**

She knew one thing was for certain – she had to get out of this town. Going back to the motel that she and Charlie shared, she packed her belongings, throwing whatever she could into her bag without pause for folding or any other such none sense. The faster she was out, the better. Just as she reached to where Charlie's bed was to grab the shirt he'd accidentally left on the floor, she spotted something glinting under the mattress of the bed. She reached under, careful, and pulled on the hilt of something. Already her mind raced with possibilities of what this was and landed on what it was before pulling it out completely. It was a long, silver hilted knife with a sheath placed over it. While the thought that Charlie could have used this on her so many times, she couldn't help but look in awe at the craftsmanship. She had to shake her head and remind herself to get the hell out. Stuffing the weapon in her bag, she threw herself in her cargo in the car and drove as far out of town as she could.

It was getting late. Her stomach growled in irritation that it hadn't been fed and she really had to use the bathroom. Deciding it was safe enough to make a quick stop; she spotted a small gas station and went to use the bathroom. After barely touching the disgusting facilities – it was a feat to basically sit in mid air to pee – Jo came out of the bathroom in search of something to eat. Her eyes scanned the small aisle of candy bars and junk food when her eyes landed on packets of Twinkies. Her stomach let out a growl of approval so loud she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment when a tall man gave her a small smile. She shrugged. "Can't help it. The body wants what it wants." The man frowned and she blinked. Okay, so the joke wasn't all that funny but God, he didn't have to stare so hard at her.

"Jo?"

She was reaching over to snag the packet when he spoke again making her have to crane her neck back with effort, hand still poised over the treats, in shock. Oh God, not another idiot trying to kill her.

** · · ·**

Her body stiffened. "Who are you?"

The man seemed to be baffled, as if it was the oddest question in the world. "What are talking about, Jo?" He frowned when she only seemed to become even more confused. "You don't know who I am…at all?"

"Uh, if I'm asking you who you are – that usually implies, 'I do not who you are.'"

"Oh. Right." So absorbed in his thoughts, she watched as his face morphed into silly expressions. Either he was thinking real hard where he could have misplaced her face or whether or not he really needed to use the bathroom himself. Either way.

"Okay then." Grabbing the pack of Twinkies she'd been after, she saluted him with it and started to walk away. "Nice meeting you, stranger."

"Hey!"

She felt her stomach twist and her hand clench – not the one with the Twinkies – thankfully. Spinning on her heel, she felt her temper rising. "Look, I really don't know who you are and I've had a rough day and a half, okay? So don't go giving me trouble."

"I'm not trying to. Okay, listen to me for just a second-" But she was already walking away again. She went up to the register, threw down a five and didn't wait for change. She wanted out of that place before Mr. Social became more physical.

Just as she rounded the corner where her rented car sat, someone leaning against a black Impala looked up. At first, she couldn't make much of his face with the sunglasses on. But she had to say he didn't look half bad with what she could see. Immediately, she felt a presence behind her as Sunglasses turned his attention that way. Great. She started to power walk as fast as she could to the car. Pulling the keychain out, her fingers shook, trying to get the god forsaken key in the hole when someone grabbed her shoulder. She spun in pure instinct and swung an uppercut that caught Sunglasses right in the nose. He let out a startled yelp. "Damn it, Jo! What the hell was that for?"

"Grabbing me, stupid!" She swung out her leg and kicked behind the back of his, sending him off balance and stumbling. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and her body hummed with electricity. She didn't remember any of this before but suddenly her body went into a defensive posture that could only have been taught by someone who knew what the hell they were doing.

She watched as Mr. Social came to join in and immediately went on high alert. "What, you like ganging on girls in parking lots?"

"What?" Sunglasses sputtered and shook his head. "No, but I would like to know what crawled up your ass to make you a lunatic." Then his face sobered. "Christo."

It was her turn to be confused. "Did you just call me a dirty word?"

Both guys looked at one another before back at her. Something was up and she felt her body draining of the alarm she'd felt at first. Moving back, she waited until there was enough comfortable distance between them and her before somewhat lowering her hands. "You know who I am?"

"No, we just call every girl we meet Jo and chase her down." The shorter one snorted as he continued to lightly touch where she punched him in the nose. "And remarkably the girl always hits in the exact same spot."

Mr. Social laughed, "Oh come on, Dean. You just love getting knocked around. Admit it."

Dean – she took it – gave his buddy a glowered glare. "Shut your damn pie hole before I find a nice place in the trunk. And trust me; I have the shovels and the patience to hide your large ass."

And just like that, Jo was already reaching for the car door with the keys and ready to bolt.

** · · ·**

Jo put the car in park. She checked around, making sure no one, especially in a shiny black car or otherwise was following her. She was somewhat shocked that she managed to slip away from them. With a swift punch to the gut and a kick in the groin, she managed to buy herself enough time to book it the hell out of the lot. Though a sliver of guilt washed over her when she made it to the road, she couldn't take any chances. Not now. Not when she'd already been tricked once.

Charlie. She wanted to cry over his death. But then again it really wasn't him. Still…her eyes somehow pulled to where her bag sat, the dark blue book he'd given to her, peeking out.

"Alright Alice," She sucked up whatever emotions she had and bottled it away for another time, "time to find that white rabbit of yours."

The motel looked vacant. Nobody seemed to be there. She frowned. Great, this will make things oh so safe. Grabbing her bag, she got out of the car along with the long elegant knife that had been left behind by Charlie. She slipped that into the waistband of her jeans, hidden under her jacket. Going up to the front desk, she waited while the owner came out to give her a room. The woman seemed nice, with a bob cut hair that curled around her face. She gave Jo a set of keys. "Room C5, down the left side of the property."

"Thanks." She headed down. Once inside, she dead bolted the door and checked every window. She might have amnesia but she sure as hell wasn't stupid. Once she felt safe again, she threw her clothes off and headed for the showers.

When she was done soaking in the heat from the water, she crashed so hard she couldn't quite recall when she'd fallen asleep.

** · · ·**

_Jo had the gun in her hands before anyone could blink. Her fingers were raw from scuffing them up on the ground and they shook from the adrenaline pumping through her veins. "Put him down." She ordered with vehemence. If the fucker so much as thought of hurting him she would put so many damn holes through the bastard, other demons would mistake him for Swiss cheese. _

There was a knock at the door, startling Jo from her sleep. Pushing back limp strands of hair from her eyes, she got up and sluggishly opened the door. Her eyes zeroed in on the coffee cup first then the tall man holding it.

Two thoughts rushed into her head. Mr. Social turn Stalker was at her door and two – he brought coffee for her?

She went to reach for the knife when her memory of early came back. Shower. She looked down and found only a flimsy thin motel robe around her. She quickly tried to conceal herself as she tried to shut the door but the big guy was already one step ahead of her as he already threw his weight into the door with his free hand.

"Get out!" She shouted and went to kick him. But he seemed to learn very quickly. He dodged her foot and caught it with his arm, keeping it against his stomach and underarm, leaving her in an awkward position. Not to mention her robe slimmed up her thighs, revealing a heavy amount of skin. "Hey!"

"Would you take it easy, I'm not trying to hurt you."

She huffed, "That's what they all say before you read headlines about a woman being missing cause she was stupid enough to listen to her attacker." Trying to swing it only further seemed to cause more problems as the coffee nearly spilled all over the both of them.

"Take it easy, already! I didn't bring this so you could burn yourself." The man replied, his voice filled with concern. That had her stumped.

"She still Fists of Fury?" A voice asked from behind him. The guy called Dean poked his head in and sort of gave a cheeky smile that had her wondering when she realized the advantage he had. He could see right up her damn robe.

"Sleaze!" Without any warning, she pulled free and punched Dean, once again, in the face.

"Ow! Son of a monkey-fuck!"

And just like that, Jo, stupefied by the idiot as he held his nose once again, with strange words of different varieties flying out of his mouth had her covering her own mouth as she tried not to laugh.

Man, the stress of the last few days really had gotten to her alright.

** · · ·**


End file.
